Night time had passed and the five were walking. Juniper was chewing and sucking on the blue lollipop she had bribed Billy into getting her.

She was still shaken up by the information she had received off Tony Stark, Natasha Romanoff and Pietro Maxinoff.

The boys weren't too happy.

"This is so lame."  Pietro said to Wanda who was between himself and Juniper.  "I can't believe you're making them return all the candy."

"I can't believe what a bad Influence you are."

"I can."  Juniper mumbled under her breath. Wanda nor Pietro had heard her — luckily. Sure, Juniper wasn't a good influence but hey, at least she had her own face.

Why would Wanda recast her own brother? That's what she didn't get. Wanda loved her, Vision and Pietro. She got the right face for her and Vision. Juniper had decided it was something outside of the woman's control, like a third party.

"Who beefed in your borscht?"

Juniper had her head looking at the ground, her knee knowledge and memories running wild in her head. It hurt as she tried to unlock more.

Drowning. Dead. Drugs. Avengers.

She passed her lollipop stick to a dead women, asking her to bin it. She did, nodding as she did so.

"I'm just trying to do my part, okay?"  Pietro stated, him and Wanda coming to a stop, meaning Juniper also did.  "Come to town unexpectedly, create tension with the brother-in-law, stir up trouble with rig rats and ultimately give you grief."  He listed, an animated tone to his voice.  "I mean, that's what you wanted, isn't it?"

The pink haired girl wrapped her arms tight around herself. Holding her body in comfort.

She saw faces, many faces. Tony. Natasha. Wanda. Vision. A boy, a young boy in red and blue. She snapped her eyes shut trying to work out who. P... Peter... Peter Parker! She realised, her eyes opening as she nodded slightly.

Dead. Avengers. Drugs. Drowning.

She sighed as she glanced up at her nonbiological nephews. If her and Vision were dead and Wanda had made this reality, did that mean the twins weren't real? She felt sick with that thought, shaking it off.

"What happened to your accent?"

"What happened to yours?"

Juniper unwrapped her arms from herself, throwing an arm over Wanda's shoulders, a defensive look on her face. There it was again, the natural need that she had to protect Wanda. She didn't get it, she gathered Wanda was her best friend, she presumed they were before Westview, but Juniper wasn't a bodyguard.

"Details are fuzzy, man."

God. She got that. Sure she was breaking free, but with few of — what a million? — memories.

"I got shot like a chump on the streets for no reason at all and the next thing I know, I heard you calling me."  Pietro told his sister.

Had Juniper not met the dead version of the real Pietro, she would probably believe him. Maybe juniper was superstitious, it came with having the dead follow you around like a lost dog.

"I knew you needed me."  He told her softly.

Wanda's eyes softened, and maybe so did Junipers. What's your point? He said something sweet and Juniper may of been aromantic, but she wasn't heartless. It was cute or nice or whatever — so shush.

"Uncle P, guess what?"  Tommy said, him and Billy now standing in front of the three adults.

"The way I'm second best is just wrong."  Juniper stated, shaking her head, a tiny smile on her face.

Pietro looked at her, smirking that 'ha I'm better then you' smirk.

"They've got full-size candy bars a few blocks up."  Billy said, looking between the three adults.  "Mom, can we go?"  Billy asked with excitement.

But then Tommy was gone, blue streaks following.

Fuck!

Oh. Wait, he's back, holding chocolate.  "Next stop, Cavity Town."

"Tommy?"

"JJ?"

"Do you know what you just did?"  She asked, pulling her arm away from Wanda. She folded them in front of her, tilting her head.

Tommy looked between them.  "No?"

"Chip off the old Maximoff block!"  Pietro stated with excitement. He turned from the boy to the women.  "You've got super speed!"  He told him, turning back to Tommy.

"I do?!"

"Well, considering most people don't dart up the street, grab chocolate and dart back down in, what? A matter of three seconds? It's probably safe assume so, little T."

Pietro and Tommy high-fived before the nephew turned to his godmother, grinning brightly.

She held out her arms and he jumped into them without second thought. Tommy wrapped his arms around her neck and Juniper held him tight.

She soon put him down, placing a kiss to his head, and then his brothers.

"It's okay, baby, you can take it slow, and you can —"

Tommy raced around.

It went on for a while before Wanda grabbed him.

"If you're gonna break the sound barrier, please just take your brother with you."

"Really?"  Billy asked happily.

"Really?"  Tommy repeated with disappointment.

"Really, yes."  She told them, giving the mom look. She really had nailed that look. Maybe it was because of Juniper. "And please just remember  to—"

"Don't go past Ellis Avenue."

"We know, mom. We know."

"Don't get whiplash."  She grinned at her godchildren, watching as Tommy slowly turned, grabbing his brothers arm before darting off, after saluting his nonbiological aunt.

"Hey! Be careful."

Pietro shook his head, looking off as Wanda looked at where her sons were and Juniper just stared at nothing.

•••

The five were walking, this time with more people around. This made Juniper far to aware of Wanda's wrong doings. She loved Wanda, but she couldn't ignore this that was going on. She just needed Wanda to come clean, even dead Juniper would be at her side.

"Holy shmacaroni."  The male of the adults stated as they walked.  "Wow!"

Wanda chuckled slightly, her arm linked with her best friends.  "Isn't it great?"  She asked, hopeful for his approval.

"Damn it, if Westview, New Jersey isn't charming as hell."

"Now, I know that you think that I've gone full soccer mom —"

"Yeah."

"— but it really is nice, right?"  She asked the bloke who played her brother as the three sat on the hay.

"Yeah."  Pietro sighed.

Juniper rested her head on her best friends shoulder.

She still didn't get it, she couldn't get her head around why Wanda had done all of this. Grief, obviously, but why the other people, were they hurting too?

A few seconds of silence passed as the bloke though over his next words.

Wanda placed her arm around her best friends waist, allowing the two to share body heat.

"I think mom and dad would've loved it."  He told her.

Wanda smiled and him and Juniper furrowed her brows slightly.  "Yeah, I think they would have."  She agreed.

Children laughed as they ran past.

Wanda and Juniper smiled at the noise. They had grown accustomed to children, and Juniper was scared.

If she had to re-die, she'd loose this. Sure, there were children who had died but that was heart breaking not heart warming. But she also knew for Wanda to do the 'right thing' she'd have to let her go.

Pietro leaned closer to Wanda.  "Where were you hiding these kids up till now?"  He asked.

Both Wanda and Juniper snapped there heads up to him.

"What?"  The red one asked.

"Basement."  The pink one answered, nodding her head slightly against Wanda's shoulder. She wasn't the only one to notice the lack of children I town, huh?

"I assume they were sleeping peacefully in their beds."  He stated giving her the side eye look.  "No need to traumatise beyond the occasional holiday episode cameo, right?"

"Episode?!"  Juniper mumbled out, startled clearly. Her head had been raised from Wanda's shoulders.

Sure she gathered the place had been kinda-sorta held hostage — oops? — but broadcasted? She didn't expect that.

"No I —"

"You were always the empathetic twin."

"I don't, I didn't —"

Pietro looked at her, as did Juniper, clear disbelief in their eyes.

"Hey! Don't get me wrong, you handled the ethical considerations of this scenario as best as you could. Families and couples stay together, most personalities aren't far off from what's underneath, people got better jobs, better hair cuts for sure."

Wanda eyes stayed on Junipers. She couldn't loose her best friend again. Juniper was breaking out of her hold and Wanda was scared. She couldn't watch her hit rock bottom again, she couldn't deal with her killing herself again, and she couldn't deal with another person she loved lacking a funeral. Wanda couldn't loose Juniper end off.

Juniper noticed that look of grief. She knew she was dead. She knew she caused Wanda pain. She knew Wanda needed her. And well, Juniper was gonna try her best to stay until the very last moment. How hard could it be?

"You don't think it's wrong?"  She asked, throwing a quick glance at him.

"What?! Are you kidding? I'm impressed, seriously."  He told her.

Something about it was off, other then the fact that this wasn't Wanda's brother but Juniper was sure she'd pay the consequences soon enough. And when that happens, Juniper will be there — dead or alive — to help her through it.

"It's a big leap from giving people nightmares and shooting red wiggly-woos out of your hands."  He told her, mimicking said 'red wiggly-woos'.

Wanda looked away from her best friend and her stand in brother.

He leaned close once again.  "How'd you even do all of this?"

She looked at him, her head shaking as she turned forward. She couldn't. She can't. She didn't want to think of the pain and the grief she had felt. Her parents, her brother, her best friend and her lover, all five people she cared for, gone.

"Hey, I'm not some stranger and I'm not your husband."  Pietro promised, Wanda looked at him, eyes watering. Juniper grabbed her best friends hands, holding them as a promise to never judge her.  "You can talk to me."  He promised, his voice low and gentle.  "It's me and Juniper, two people in the whole world that you trust."

Wanda thought for a second. The pain. The grief. The memories. She felt sick remembering all of their bodies. She breathed deeply. She blinked, pain and grief in her eyes.

Juniper placed her head on the woman's shoulder.

"I don't know how I did it."  She said, her head shaking slightly before she rested it on top of Juniper's head.

Pietro watched his 'sister'.

"I-I only remember feeling completely alone."  She opened up.  "Empty."  She corrected, her hands tightening their grip slightly on Junipers.

So scared to let go, so scared to move on. It was supposed to be her and Juniper against the world. But it wasn't. Wanda didn't resent her for her actions, Juniper couldn't help the relapse or falling into the darkest pit of depression she had ever ha dot feel, Juniper couldn't help that she ended up killing herself. Wanda understood that, she was just scared to know that one day, possibly soon, she's going to have to face that again or face watching Juniper die one way or another. But hopefully she gets to say goodbye, that would be nice.

"Endless nothingness."  She looked away, blinking away the tears, she felt a soft kiss on her shoulder from Juniper, causing a sad little smile on her face.

Wanda turned back looking at Pietro first. Letting out a scared gasp as she looked at the familiar bullet holes. His skin was greying and sickly. Death, he looked like death.

She then looked at Juniper in worry, the girls head having left her shoulder revealing the pink haired girl with greying skin and water dripping from her lips, smudged mascara.

She covered her face with her hands. Scared, startled and pained.

She then looked back at her 'brother'. He was back to normal before down at Juniper who was back to normal with her head on her shoulder.

"Are you okay?"  Both Pietro and Juniper asked.

"I'm fine."  Wanda said, clearly lying.

"Uh-huh."  Pietro said. Very clearly disagreeing.

Juniper moved her head from Wanda's shoulders looking at the 'brother'. The two shared a look, giving a slight nod before looking back at Wanda.

She may not be sure of him, but she had some respect for him and she was a sucker for a pretty face. She's aware that that's going to bite her in the arse later. But he had helped, yes he caused mayhem, but he seemed to relive some tension from Wanda. Hell, he got her to open up. She'll stay optimistic for now.

"Mom!"  Billy called, him and Tommy running over to them. At normal speed.

They snapped their heads to the boys.

"What? What is it Billy?"  Wanda asked the three getting up, upon noticing the boys distress.

The boy panted.  "I hear dad in my head, he's in trouble!"  He says through short breaths of panic. Distress and worry in his eyes.  "I don't understand, what's happening to me?"  He begs looking between him mom and Juniper.

"Can I put my hands on your head?"

"Huh?"

"Cold, it might help calm you down so you can understand what you hearing."  Juniper told him. Billy nodded and Juniper placed one of the stone cold — maybe even ice cold hands — against his forehead and the other on the back of his neck.

The boy began to breath properly before nodding.

Juniper took her hands away upon him cooling down. It only took a few seconds.

"Where is he? Where's your dad?"  Wanda questioned.

"Hey, don't swear it, sis."  Pietro spoke up.  "It's not like your dead husband can die twice."  He grinned.

No one got chance to react as Wanda blasted him into a false grave yard. Juniper thought it was funny.

Tommy looked at his 'uncle' in shock. Juniper noticed his fear, took his hand and pulled him close, placing her arm loosely around him and he leaned his head against her.

"He's okay."  She whispered.  "Your dad and him."  She promised.

"Billy, I need you to focus."  She told her second born.

He closed his eyes, shuddering and shaking slightly.  "I can't tell."  He panicked.  "I see these —"  he paused briefly,  "— soldiers."  He decided, unsure of himself. His eyes opened wide, begging his mom or Juniper to help. "They think he's dying!"

Time seemed to pause. Maybe Juniper imagined it.

•••

Juniper was laying on her bed, sketching as she watched Lady and the Tramp. She wasn't paying much attention to it, but enough to know what was going on.

She looked up as she heard a knock on her bedroom door and saw a boy push it open.

"Hey, Tommy."  She whispered.  "It's half two, are you okay?"  She asked. Placing down her sketch pad after looking at the time. Grimacing, she didn't mean to stay up that late.

Tommy shook his head.

"Do you want to come lay with me?"  She asked.

He nodded.

She moved her sketching stuff and shuffled over, holding the bedding up for Tommy to slip under. Upon him doing so she draped it over him and allowed the boy to cuddle into her.

She sighed, running her hands through her hair.

"What's up, T?"

She dimmed her lamp and turned her tv volume down.

"Is mom a bad person?"  He asked, his voice shaking showing signs that he had previously been crying of extremely worked up over this idea.

"No."  She promised, placing a kiss to the boys head.  "Your mom has a lot of love to give, a lot of which she hadn't received. Some people she loved, well, they're gone now, not forgotten, loved and remembered. But you mom is hurt, from the pain, like you and Billy when it comes to Sparky. Your mom isn't a bad person, she is good, she's a great woman but sometimes, like everyone, her actions have not so good consequences, but that's okay."  She promised.

Tommy nodded on Juniper's chest.  "How do you know she's good?"

"Because, she's your mom, you've seen the love she gives, the care she has for you and your brother, me and your father, her brother and her parents. A bad person wouldn't open up their heart, for oversimplification. Your mom is good because she chose to be, and that's what's important. She isn't pure, or innocent but she's good."

"Can I stay?"

"Yes, Tommy."

"Thank you, JJ."